Mention Girl Scout cookies, and I can’t help but think back to the days of knocking on every door in my neighborhood, order sheet in hand, and hitting up every relative at my grandma’s house before Sunday dinner. These days, who needs to pound the pavement? Girl Scouts are so…
Head West, dear foodie!Jerry Colangelo’s $7 million renovation of The Wigwam — the historic luxury resort in the West Valley — is finally coming to fruition with all-new dining options, including a new farm-to-table concept that James Beard Award winner Chris Bianco headed up, called Litchfield’s. Named after Paul Litchfield, the founder…
Hot on the heels of new Narcisse Champagne & Tea Lounge, which just opened at the Scottsdale Quarter (Scottsdale Rd. and Greenway-Hayden Loop), now there’s another restaurant launch at the upscale shopping complex: Parc Central opens its doors to the public tomorrow.Executive chef Chad Burnett (formerly of Joe’s Farm Grill in…
This photo, shared by one of my food spies, says it all: Stan’s Metro Deli is closed, at least temporarily. The restaurant’s voicemail is full.As any longtime reader of Chow Bella knows, “temporary” restaurant closures usually strike me as dubious, if only because of the track record. Remember Sucker Punch…
Fans of Japanese cuisine will surely take heart at the comeback of a local luminary: Chef Shinji Kurita is working on reopening Shinbay, this time in Scottsdale. Since it closed five years ago, Kurita’s original Ahwatukee location of Shinbay has become the stuff of legends for its exquisite obentos, top-notch…
The next few weeks will be crazy-busy for Petite Maison chef-owner James Porter as he prepares to open a new barbecue restaurant, Big Earl’s BBQ, in the Old Town space that formerly housed Nello’s, and later, Jac’s Pizzeria. The goal is to open by February 1. Porter, who will be…
Scottsdale Quarter, the new upscale shopping complex across the street from Kierland Commons, continues its dining expansion with the opening of new Narcisse Champagne & Tea Lounge, from Tom Zummo and Todd Rosenbaum, the creators of Barrio Cantina & Grill. More than 200 kinds of bubbles — including 75 available by the…
The off-the-record buzz about chef Peter DeRuvo taking over the chef de cuisine position at Prado is now confirmed news. He officially starts the job on Monday. DeRuvo seems like a great fit for the upscale Italian restaurant at the InterContinental Montelucia resort, given his background as executive chef at AAA Four Diamond…
New Year’s Day not only marked the dawn of 2011, but the first day in business for a modern Mediterranean restaurant at the Scottsdale Quarter called Tanzy. Situated next door to the new iPic Theaters, the 8,000-square-foot eatery, inspired by the Arizona landscape, boasts grand views of the McDowell Mountains through walls of…
Doug Robson, chef-owner of Gallo Blanco, had to give up his restaurant logo, but now there’s one rooster that nobody can take away from him.After wine giant E&J Gallo threatened a lawsuit over Robson’s rooster motif at his hip Midtown Mexican eatery (whose name literally means “white rooster” in Spanish…
Lovebirds have been coming out of the woodwork! Two different pals recently asked me for recommendations on where to take their darling spouses to celebrate their anniversaries. My gut says Atlas Bistro. The South Scottsdale BYOB restaurant keeps a low profile, considering the caliber of the food here, which is why…
Comfort food is everywhere these days, and usually it’s the American version. But the French have really perfected it, which was obvious on a recent dinner outing to Petite Maison in Scottsdale. A glorious dish of coq au vin — chicken and onions stewed in red wine until it’s so…
You’d be forgiven for losing track of all the Thai places that’ve opened lately. The past few years have been boom times for the Southeast Asian cuisine — to the point that Thai restaurants are nearly as ubiquitous as Mexican joints. (It makes sense, really, given that both cuisines have…
Calling all “downtown residents, hipsters, sports fans, and event goers.” Restaurateur Sam Fox is hoping you’ll venture down to CityScape (2 E. Jefferson, #150) for dinner at The Arrogant Butcher when it opens on February 21. Details are still forthcoming on the previously announced (but previously unnamed) eatery, but this…
Robert McGrath, the James Beard Award-winning chef who founded Roaring Fork and now serves his signature Southwestern flavors at Renegade Canteen, hosts local food lovers who get to dish about their favorite restaurants in Check, Please!, a half-hour show that starts tonight on PBS. Three different Valley residents and restaurants are featured weekly. Each…
Is it a big deal if a coffee shop doesn’t accept plastic? Perhaps it shouldn’t be, but when the cafe is in CenPho (where there’s plenty of stylish competition, and people take their hangouts very seriously) and the java joint happens to be owned by Matt and Erenia Pool (creators…
After a 16-year business partnership, James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Bianco is parting ways with Susan Pool, who’s been a front-of-the-house fixture at the popular downtown eatery. “I’m taking over the ownership of the pizzeria,” Bianco says, explaining that he is now the sole owner of Pizzeria Bianco and Pane…
Helen Yung, Sweet Republic co-ownerI think it’ll be the year of gourmet food trucks. It started this year but will make a huge jump in 2011, with well-regarded restaurants joining the game.Craig DeMarco, Postino ownerMy short list: Multi-purpose spaces, sausage shops, pies, wine on tap, manuka honey and humble service staff.Bernie Kantak, Citizen Public House chef-ownerIt seems…
Bill DeGroot, the industry pro who was brought in to help revamp Arcadia’s Vatra Grillhouse this past fall, confirms that he’s still in the picture as a consultant for the new Kitchen 56, and that chef Peter DeRuvo has indeed left the picture for “a bigger opportunity” that hasn’t yet gone…
Those Slow Food folks sure are busy, cooking up all kinds of “eco-gastronomic” community events to raise awareness of sustainability and supporting local producers. And you know what? There’s always some kind of delicious eats in the plan. Gotta love their priorities. (At left, they’re feasting at Atlas Bistro.)Feeling social? Want…
What was the best thing you ate in 2010? I asked around with a handful of Phoenix food lovers, and they were split down the middle. For some, the answer was easy and obvious, a singular work of gastronomic perfection, whether decadent or humble. Others struggled to pick just one thing from…
